Brian Lenihan - "Tough budget on the way"

[athlonedub]

Which Higgins? Lugs like me?

So you disagree with the fact that Michael Martin is keeping hold of a job that could be taken up by a recently graduated teacher but refuses to quit even though he hasn't taught for twenty years is wrong?

The fact of the matter is posters say the government are making the tough decisions, They are also robbing the taxpayer blind while asking them to foot the bill. If a Fine Gaeler is engaging in the same activity the I will criticize him and castigate him more then I would a Fianna Failer because I don't condone lying, robbery and hypocrisy by very senior public officials, seems like you do though.

So your view on Enda Kenny doing the same thing.....

[Setanta781]

Enda doesn't do the same thing according to the same article.

[athlonedub]

in fairness, having checked it on Google, he only held on to his teaching post from 1975 to 2003..........

[Setanta781]

Yeah that's fair enough, he's wrong in that case.

However at this current stage of recession Michael Martin holds on to his teaching post while Enda chose to take a symbolic pay cut, yes the pay cut is not huge but it's a sign all the same.

I know every T.D aren't angels but It annoys me when the same people who pontificate about pay cuts and leading by example don't do it themselves. The fact of the matter is Enda did take a pay cut as a sign of what should be done. He isn't in government he didn't tell the Irish republic that He must lead by example then go behind their backs and claim extortionate pensions. That to me tells me why Fine Gael should be in government and not Fianna Fail. At a time when MP's in England are resigning over minuscule matters compared to us It is very important that the T.d's act the same way. Anyone who says differently just baffles me.

[petervalhala]

Peter like I mentioned before to another poster if Fine Gael td's or Labour td's engage in the same arrangement with regards salary cuts then they are wrong but they are not in government pontificating about leading by example and then engaging in pure robbery, Enda Kenny doesn't receive the pension but Michael Martin holds onto a job as he is afraid he'll be sacked. Who is the worse guy? If many supported the cuts then why has the government backtracked and will now negotiate with T.d's about their pensions instead of cutting the salaries and making people like Batt hand back the money he stole and make Martin quit his job so some teacher out there can get work

Martin isn't the only TD who benefits from this arrangement, and whether FF, FG, Labour or Independent I agree it should be stopped and will be stopped from the next Dáil. I wasn't disagreeing about this, just your selective use of FF only TDs. Also you avoided commenting about FG's Hogan refusing to consider a pay cut.

Your statements about money being spent on booze and fags has really exposed you, Families rely on these sort of welfare benefits yet you think they are negligent parents who spend their dole on fags and booze really says alot for your social awareness.

I was responding to your comment about the early childcare payment, which goes to ALL parents, not just welfare parents, you incorrectly assume I am only referring to welfare.

Welfare was the same with the cost of living in this country, there are thousands of young men and women in Fas programmes and many men and women who have been working for 30 years or so and can't get work, there is no work out there signified by the massive number unemployed in Ireland. They are not lazy and not in anyway wasters, these men and women are the future of this economy and will emigrate because the government don't give a damn about them.

Cost of living here is not three times the UK level. I agree anyone who has worked and is now without a job deserves good social support, its those who refuse to work and never contribute that need to be dealt with. Do you hold the same views about the 150K who refused to work during the tiger years?

In the longterm myself and many others after me will have to foot the bill for Anglo so to say we would be worse off winding it down is not true.

Wrong and if you don't believe a FF person, you should research what the former FG leader Alan Dukes has said on that matter.

One statement that baffles me about you is you think it is excellent to halve the dole of young men and women yet support ministers keeping pensions of huge amounts. I would like you to talk to Guys and Girls in their twenties and others with families who have no job because the greedy developers got found out and now they have to clean up the mess for their former bosses.

Wrong, I didn't say that. I agree all Oireachtas payments and pensions need to be reformed and support Minister Lenehan's clear budget statement on this. I also support measures that stop people becoming dependent on the dole, plus support measures that reduce payments for anyone who has no intention of contributing to the society, yet expects society to contribute to them.

How does what Mary Harney said have anything to do with this?

You wanted the so called 'golden circle' to be named before due process is completed, do some reseach and see how public comments by Mary Harney effected Haughey's trial.

[Setanta781]

Ok Michael Martin is a government minister, in the government and supports the same government who tell us they lead by example. I know many T.d's and MEP's from Fine Gael might act in the same way but they are not in government sending out message of leading by example.

It should be stopped now because we need to make every penny count, the next dail is no use because the government are telling us it'll be in 2012 plus Lenihan has gone back on it and is now negotiating with the T.D's.

If Hogan refuses to take a paycut then he is in the wrong pure and simple.

The same Alan Dukes who told us that nobody in Anglo has taken a pay cut, I wouldn't believe a word he says either. The man I listen to because he was right in the past is George Lee.

How can you assume most on the dole don't want to contribute to society because thats the message I get from you, If there is 150 K who didn't want to contribute in the tiger years then they should have been punished but that is not the here and now.

The here and now is that there is upwards of 400K on the unemployed, many of those are as a result struggling to survive because of massive mortgages. These people would have heavily relied on allowances from the government but they have been taken away while they, the government, still reap the benefits of their positions. There is no If's, But's or Maybes about it.

If you were asked to wipe out a loan of someone but you were never told their name or the extent of the loan would you be happy? because that is what is happening with the Golden Circle and the taxpayer. That is why we should know who they are.

[An Gilladaker]

Brian Lenihan was on a panel earlier and he said the focus now was on a tough budget later this year.

It is believed the government want to raise taxes by another 4 billion on a diminishing base of taxpayers.

That will be 1000 Euro for every man, woman and child.

I expect the burden to fall on workers most of all, and other indirect taxes.

The government have to raise it some way, and I believe the raised money will go towards our increased debt servicing requirements.

I am expecting the 2% levy to go to 4%. I also think there will be a property tax. Car tax will probably go up.

Expect 1500 extra to be taken from your pay packet over the year or 120 a month.

And next year will be just as bad with two budgets, requiring about 7 billion in new taxes. By the end of 2010, the average worker will be paying extra taxes of at least 3000 a year or about 280 a month.

If you are earning 2500 net a month now, by the end of 2010, you will be earning 2000 a month.

And most of it will be going to pay for the carnage of the property bubble and rogue property developers.

The big question is will Brian Lenihan be minster for finance when the budget is delivered the knives within the tribe of FF are being sharpened at the moment changes are a coming